Forgotten
by Shimmershot
Summary: A reason Starscream may not be as partial to his wing mates as he should be. They did ignore and forget about him for stellar-cycles... AU G1 Rating may go up later on
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N : An interesting concept that came to me in a dream. I have no idea where this will go, so updates may be quick and they may be slow...**_

He cycled air depressingly as he watched the other younglings take to the skies. He'd been left out again. The odd number out… Left behind to hope for the next batch of younglings in the care center.

It happened, he supposed. Not every Seeker found their Trines right away like some fairy tale. There had to be a connection. Some sort of draw to each other that they could build on. It was rare though, and it stung him each time it happened.

Now he had to wait for more younglings to come into the Center over the next few months. This would be his fourth time through this. The elders who over saw the Center always gave him sympathetic looks, sometimes even worried ones.

He couldn't fly much, not without a Trine. He was allowed up only if circumstances called for it, like, the activity of flying around to try and cement the attraction between wing mates, or if it was decided he needed to go up due to just needing too.

The sky was constantly calling him. How he longed to go up there and just… fly. He'd proven how smart he was in the Sparkling Centers, but now he wanted to prove his aerial prowess… and he couldn't. Because he'd been left out. Again.

He supposed it was making him a bit bitter. He didn't care as much as he should have, that he still hadn't found a Trine. He didn't really care anymore if he ever found one either. He just hoped he wasn't barred from flying.

"Starscream, time for energon break," one of the elders called, watching from slightly further back. He was truly worried about the young Seeker before him. Never before had a Seeker failed to form Trine bonds after so long. The youngling was discouraged from it, as well.

This youngling was an odd one, for certain. The Sparkling Centers claimed he was the smartest they'd seen since the Shuttle Mode designated Skyfire. That he was quick and nimble was no strange feature, as all Seekers were, but he was slightly smaller than all of the others, and his speed was much more noticeable in the air when he was allowed up.

But the variety of color the youngling's frame took was odd. Seekers, traditionally, only took two colors upon birth. This youngling seemingly had taken three; a striking red, semi dark blue and silvery white. It only added to the bullying of other young Seekers however, instead of the awe the coloring presented.

Only further estranging him from the groups.

Starscream turned and followed him in, blank faced and quiet. He seemed to further withdraw with every time he was left out. Understandable, but worrying all at the same time.

Without a sound, the red youngling finished his energon. He'd not been so quiet when he'd first come here… far from. He would ask question upon question about everything around him. He could talk circles around anyone, including the cantankerous old Comet, coming out the victor in whatever verbal war he'd declared. He had brought many laughs to his generation younglings, as well as the entire staff. And he loved the attention.

Now, he kept to himself, quiet and subdued the entire time.

The elder wondered why this youngling was having such a hard time. Even older Seekers, who lost various wing mates here and there were having a better time finding replacements than he.

He felt Perish's gaze upon him, and he flicked a wing. His own Trine was worried as well, he knew. So strange it was… _"The youngling keeps having difficulties, doesn't he?"_ Perish called through their private comms. _"The poor thing. I thought he'd be out of here and flying through the skies on the first go. With such an eye catching color scheme…"_

"_I did too!"_ their third, Streamline, commented. He was on the other side of the Center currently, but he was still paying attention._ "He seemed to connect with those two… Thundercracker and Skywarp. Remember them?"_

"_Yes…"_ he replied, smiling ever so slightly. Those three had seemed to hit it off fairly well in the beginning. They were a fairly troublesome bunch… with Starscream's quick wit and Skywarp's uncanny ability to appear practically anywhere, and Thundercracker's reasoning…

It had almost seemed fairly obvious they would end up a Trine… They'd been together all through their time in the Sparkling Centers, and hardly ever left one by himself. But it apparently wasn't meant to be… _"Who did they pick as their third?"_

"_That brat of a Seeker… what was his name?"_ Perish replied, trailing off when he realized he didn't actually know the name. _"I just remember the rust and teal color scheme…"_

"_How could you forget the "Great's" name?"_ Streamline laughed, sounding as serious as could be. _"He only boistered his name every thirty minutes… Annoying little slag I can tell ya that."_

"_Quickfall,"_ he said as it came to him. The youngling had been a pain in the aft. Quite a bully too. One day he, Skywarp and Thundercracker were always together, apparently having formed the nessarsary Trine bonds, suddenly bullying Starscream without any restraint. The tri-colored one had seemed not only confused by the sudden detachment, but also a bit hurt.

"_Oh yes… Quickfall,"_ Perish said, disgust trailing his words. _"Tell me, Current, cause you had the most interaction with that bunch. Did you think Quickfall was going to end up in that Trine? I certainly didn't…"_

Current didn't even have to voice his opinion. Starscream should have been the third in that Trine, no questions asked. But the bonds apparently spoke differently. Those three were together now, flying in the Air Force of Kaon, where they'd been stationed after leaving this Center.

Poor kid though… Starscream was still by himself, and not taking it very well. Who knew? Maybe this would be the batch he needed to find his Trine?


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N : A new installment! This has developed a mind of its own, I swear… Enjoy.**_

As they flew, he wasn't sure if it was bad turbulence or rage that shook him as bad as it did. Skywarp was shaking just as badly, and with a quick glance up at Point, he confirmed that Quickfall was as well. The other Trines in their little unit seemed just as shaken also.

He tightened his formation, feeling Skywarp do the same in response. What would await them in their home city? They had heard the distress calls… But it was taking far too long for they, who had been stationed in Kaon and trying to quell the surgence of Decepticon activity, to reach the city of Vos to be any sort of aide.

Didn't quell their panicked, full-speed race toward the city however.

Other Wings were inbound as well, flying from all around the planet. One Wing assigned to every city. All inbound to Vos. They would arrive at different times of course… but they all held hope that they wouldn't be needed to defend.

They all didn't even know what they were fighting against.

"_Decepticons,"_ Skywarp hissed over their Trine link. Thundercracker was inclined to agree. Megatron, the leader of the rowdy mechs of Kaon, seemed to be breaking free of conformity. How he had set up an offensive against Vos without them knowing was a bit… strange, but not entirely impossible, given the slack of the patrols…

"_Just keep a sensor out for anything that doesn't look like it should be there,"_ Thundercracker advised quietly. So far, everything was looking fairly normal. It gave an odd surreal feeling to their urgency. Mechs below were going about their day, staring up at the wings passing over head in curiosity.

They flew the distance far faster than they ever had before, succeeding in burning their energy, but none of the Seekers in their Wing, nor the one that had met up with them from Praxus, cared very much. They just needed to get home. To defend their city and find those that mattered to them within its confines.

"**Be prepared,"** Their unit Commander called over the comms. **"Vos is just up ahead. Pay attention to the smallest details and contact your Commanders as needed if **_**anything**_** is out of place. Should the situation call for it, Commanders will take battle formation and relay orders."**

This would possibly be their first major battle fought in long, long centuries. Peace, suddenly didn't seem as tangible as it had been a few weeks before.

Thundercracker tensed from his position in Third Wing. He really didn't think his Trine was ready for the stresses War would bring to them… but, as life seemed to go, they didn't have much choice in the matter. They had to be strong…

Skywarp shuddered suddenly, causing his attention to shift from the ground to his wing-mate. His purple cohort was vibrating strangely. Never a good sign. _"Warp, maintain heading,"_ he called, wincing as he realized he too was vibrating.

"_TC, you _feel_ that?"_ Skywarp shot back, twitching with distress. Thundercracker could in fact feel it. Fusion distortion normally only felt in the darkest of fights in Kaon, seemed to rock them all. Disconcerting that it seemed to fill the Air Space… that they were able to feel it at all… _"That's insane! What happened?"_

"_I don't know. We'll find out soon enough I'm sure… Vos is only a few minutes out."_

"_Thundercracker…"_ Skywarp said his full name. That was not only rare, it… it just didn't happen. _"Look…"_ The sky was getting darker… hotter.

He focused ahead of them, toward their destination. Vos lay in ruin. What he could see of it anyway. It was smoking so badly, it was impossible to know for sure… All of the Seekers collectively shuddered as they took in the situation.

It was quiet. Far too quiet for what it should be.

No weapon fire… no screams or wails… no orders being shot out… As they flew through the smoke clouds, all that reached their audios was… dead air. The sound of electrical fires and a few smoldering explosions, and that was all the city had to her voice.

Thundercracker let out a tiny moan of denial while Skywarp fell out of formation, clicking frantically. Other Seekers seemed to think along the same motions, as they broke off without command, skimming through the broken city.

No one even tried to order them back.

He and Skywarp flew, wing-tip to wing-tip, trying to find any sign of survivors. There was so much destruction… The once pristine city… was gone. Who knew how many had off lined this day?

They'd been far too late…

A cough reached them, followed by a weak groan of pain, causing them both to land, almost without thinking. They both hurried toward the sounds, anxious to know… to help. A light brown hand, clenched, was barely visible from beneath the ruin. Both of them scrambled to free the downed… survivor. That's what they all were now…

Survivors.

"_Ready Warp?" _Thundercracker asked grimly, grabbing the main support strut. It was the last bit of rubble to be cleared in order to free this Seeker. The mech groaned, pain obvious, and Skywarp frowned, nodding. _"Alright… Pull!"_ Each kicking on their turbines to further their momentum, they tossed the strut away, harmlessly.

The mech wasn't a Seeker.

He wasn't even a random tourist.

This light brown and silver mech with blue optics, wore the symbol of Iacon. Coolant and energon covered the mech, but there seemed to be only minor injuries decorating his frame. Nonetheless, the Iaconian mech trembled before them, staring at them in obvious fear.

Thundercracker stared right back, and Skywarp glanced between them. "What happened?" the blue and orange Seeker asked, wings high on his back. The mech flinched as if struck, but didn't say a word. "What happened here?"

"**All Wings listen up!"** the panicked voice startled both wing-mates, earning a discreet glance of suspicion from the mech at their pedes. That was the Command Trine's Second Wing, Relevance… **"Iaconian forces are behind the attack! Repeat, Iaconian forces are behind this!"**

Both of them shared a shocked glance, optics bright. _"Iacon?"_ neither was sure which one thought it, but it summed up both of their thoughts. Iacon wasn't… they weren't enemies… Vosians made up the majority of their Air Guard!

Other voices lashed out over the comms, each of them outraged and shocked at the announcement. Thundercracker turned a hardened expression back to the brown mech, still on the ground, and the mech flinched once more. "I'll ask you one more time. What happened here?" his voice was emotionless and full of underlining command, and Skywarp looked over quickly at him with aw for a split moment.

The Iaconian glared at them, his optics frosty blue. Still, he didn't speak. Skywarp growled suddenly as Thundercracker shifted to look around them, alert for any who may attack them. Skywarp pulled his handgun forward, aiming at the exposed enemy's spark panel, and fired.

The two Seekers wasted no time in resuming their scout around the city, the brown mech now nothing more than a distant memory.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N : New chappie! Hope you all enjoy. Again, it took its own turn… I'm not as happy with it as the last two, but the next one should be better.**_

They were fools. The entire idea was flawed… but they wouldn't acknowledge his input being as young as he was… how inexperienced he was… This wouldn't end well though.

They were to escort a scientist of all things, to the base in Kaon to be questioned and observed. He wore the symbols of Iacon, further lending his thinking to the fact that the scientist (and, subsequently them) would be intercepted… that bringing him to their side was going to be impossible.

The only thing the mech had going for him was that he was a flier. A Shuttle form flier, from Altihex.

The Shuttle was a bit larger than a Seeker, and could, if he wanted too, probably take them on and deliver severe damage to the three of them. But their escortee seemed fairly… pacifistic. Probably couldn't even tap someone else without uttering an apology…

"Are you ready?" he glanced at his "Trine Leader" through his peripherals, glaring slightly. The Seeker, Crackle, was a light violet color with darker purple highlights. He was also one of the oldest Seekers left, and flew almost as well as he himself did. Not that anyone _knew_ this of course… he couldn't fly except when his "Trine" was on a mission, much to his annoyance.

"The air is waiting for us," Crackle said, gesturing to follow him. "We must be away, that way we can get to our destination without errors." The old mech didn't always make as much sense… but Starscream grudgingly _respected_ him. If only because Crackle was the only one to ever treat him as an equal.

Placer however, was a different story altogether. Crackle's Second Wing, a chartreuse and white colored Seeker, was a very angry and spiteful mech in the wake of their Third Wing's demise in the attack on Vos. At least, that was what Starscream could gather from listening to Crackle argue with the other.

Not that he cared in the slightest. What they did was their business.

But the estranged Seeker had decided to take his anger out on him. That hadn't flown over too well, and all of the Seekers who had seen the confrontation, not a week after Starscream's placement as "Acting Third Wing", learned that the tri-colored Seeker wasn't as docile as he appeared. In fact, Starscream had taken Placer down faster than most could even process of the fight.

Placer had been a bit… wary of him after that. But still the Seeker needled him, calling him names as they all did. Not that that mattered any. He was used to taunts at this point.

"Heh, what's the matter?" Placer asked, scoffing as they approached the launch pad. The larger glittery white Shuttle stood behind him in special Stasis Cuffs, looking forlorn and pitiful. "Lose track of time?" Starscream merely glanced at his "wing-mate", blank faced.

Crackle however, quirked an optic ridge, silently daring his Second to continue. The three knew exactly where Placer was going to end his mini-tirade. A put down on the young Seeker. Starscream flicked a wing, indifferent. The Shuttle glanced between the three of them, curious.

Lift off was ordered not long later, and all four took to the skies. Starscream rocked, feeling the skies for the first time in what felt like forever. Crackle never said anything about his lack of conformity when it came to flying in formation, and he ignored all of the insults from Placer… so he followed his own little ritual, every time they went up.

He spun lazily. He could almost feel the confusion from the Shuttle between them all… and that only served to make him continue his barrel rolls. He only stopped at the shudder from Crackle, warning him to stop. They were on a rather "important" mission after all… Lord Megatron himself was waiting for the Shuttle's arrival, safe and sound…

Still, he couldn't help the feeling that he should be flying around as he pleased. It always nagged at him…

"**Shuttle, what is your designation?"** Crackle asked over the broad comms. The Shuttle twitched slightly, obviously not having expected to be contacted.

"**Skyfire."** The voice was very soft, almost sounding as if it hadn't been uttered at all. If not for the click of the comms, there would have been no way to know for sure if it had been spoken.

"**Skyfire, I am Crackle. We'll be leading you to Kaon. Don't fall out of formation, or you may be designated: hostel and we will act accordingly."**

"**Understood,"** the large flier replied, inching closer to Starscream's side of the formation by the smallest amount. Starscream twitched with annoyance, though his "wing-mates" auto corrected their positions around him, seeming not to really care or notice the change.

"**Starscream, you're lagging."** Placer called suddenly. Starscream twirled in response, showing what he thought of that little piece of information. **"Stop fooling around slagger!"** this received merely another twirl. **"Would you take this seriously for once? Are you that stupid?"**

"**Cool it Placer,"** Crackle ordered, slowing slightly. Placer tensed slightly. **"Too much fire is far too hot."**

"**Yeah, whatever."** The other bit back. **"Just tell Flyboy over there to stop shirking orders. We're kind of on a time limit here."**

"**Noted,"** Starscream replied blandly. **"And… disregarded."**

"**What was that?"**

"**Alright, that's enough you two!"** Crackle's voice boomed ominously over the comms, making all three of those following him shake in flight. **"Maintain current heading. Don't make me call for radio silence. It'll be a long flight to Kaon if you both keep acting like sparklings."**

Were he in bipedal mode, Starscream would have smirked. Placer hated being reprimanded, and this was likely to set him down a few steps for a while. As petty as it was, this win went to Starscream, and he inched forward, back into formation, satisfied.

"**So, Skyfire,"** Crackle said, attempting to break the tension. **"Tell us about yourself."** So it was a shoddy attempt… not one that could really be considered a break…

"**I am a scientist…"** the Shuttle responded, taken off guard. Once more the large mech hadn't expected to be addressed. When it seemed he wasn't going to say anything further, Placer laughed harshly.

"**Why would you want to be a scientist? Seems risky in these times… no combat training or anything to keep you out of either side's grasp. I mean, you scientists are Neutral right? Pretty dumb to me."** Skyfire tensed, taking offense to the words. But he didn't say anything in return.

Starscream however, barrel rolled over the large Shuttle to fly wing-tip to wing tip with the Second Wing, taking the other three by surprise. **"Not all scientists-"** he spat the word almost with disdain, **"Are Neutral. You would do well to remember that."**

"**Starscream, get back in formation!"** Crackle shouted, halting their fly and shifting out of his alt mode. **"Expect a formal reprimand when we reach Kaon!"**

Starscream followed the order, though it was clear he hated doing so. His return back to formation was jerky and slow, as if mocking the Trine Leader. Placer shook with restrained anger, and Crackle glared slightly at their "Acting Third Wing". When the red white and blue Seeker got to his position, he shifted out of his own alt mode and crossed his arms, glaring right back at his commander.

"Starscream, that was an unnecessary maneuver and you put us all at risk in doing it," Crackle called softly, his blue optics dimming. "For now, let us continue our mission. I'm asking for radio silence. I may or may not report this infraction to Lord Megatron, as the Command Trine is not in Kaon currently. Tread lightly… Turbulence is never friendly."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N : Chapter four. Ironically, this was originally chapter two. At least, it's the second installment I wrote… I'm making this take place kinda during the last chapter. I may end up rewriting this to reflect that better, but for now, following my typical get it written and posted routine, here it is.**_

They flew in tight formation, Third Point. Skywarp was directly across from him, taking up Second Wing from behind Quickfall. Their Trine Leader had put them in these positions, even though it was easy to tell that Skywarp wasn't meant for Second Wing… There were many things wrong with what their Trine Leader did.

It was like he wasn't meant to be Point.

It was a feeling that had nagged at him for a while now. Quickfall didn't belong in this Trine. It hit him not long after they'd left the Seeker Care Centers for Kaon. Skywarp hadn't said anything, but Thundercracker himself couldn't feel the same connection to their commander as he could with Skywarp.

There was a mistake somewhere in all of this.

He felt Skywarp send him a questioning ping, wondering why he wasn't flying as tightly as he should have been. Thundercracker jerked back into position, hoping the First and Second Points of their little Unit hadn't noticed. Trance wasn't an easy mech when it came to punishment.

"_TC? What's buggin you?"_ Skywarp asked over their Trine Link. Something they both had yet to hear Quickfall enter, even to this day. _"You're flyin a bit off today."_

"_I'm fine Warp. Just thinking is all,"_ he responded, following the main command to bank right. They had been flying for a while now. He had no idea how much longer the patrol would last, but he really hoped it ended soon.

"_You think too much buddy,"_ his wing-mate chuckled, resisting the urge to twirl as they went. Trance looked down on free flying, even more since Vos' destruction.

"_And you don't think enough,"_ he retorted. He meant it with all of the love and care he felt for his… brother. And Skywarp knew it was true. Skywarp was much too lax to take offense to anything Thundercracker said.

They continued to fly silently after that. So far, this rotation had been pretty uneventful. Iaconians, now taking on the name of Autobots, rarely ventured anywhere near Kaon… they were afraid of Lord Megatron and his Decepticon followers.

When the order came to return to base, it was welcomed. Nothing happened on their shift, as per usual, and they were able to fly without any stops. The return was faster than they'd flown the entire day, suggesting that Point 1 wanted to get back quickly as well.

Not that Skywarp or Thundercracker were complaining of course. They wanted nothing more than to hurry home so they could relax and not worry about anything.

Quickfall disappeared almost the moment they'd been dismissed from the debrief. Unsurprising. He always left to go… wherever he went, leaving his wing-mates by themselves until duty called them back together or for recharge. It was odd behavior of a Trine… but no one ever questioned it.

"Warp…" Thundercracker said suddenly. They had moved to their quarters, and hadn't really said much of anything. They had been just enjoying each other's company, a common occurrence. Skywarp looked at him, curious as to why he detected a small amount of restlessness in the normally calm Seeker.

"What's up TC?"

Thundercracker cycled deep. He hadn't spoken to Skywarp about his feelings toward their Trine Leader. But… it needed to be said. "Do you remember that Seeker we used to hang out with?"

Skywarp gave him a funny look. "What, you mean back in the Seeker Care Centers? Vaguely, why?"

"Remember how the three of us were inseparable?" He'd started his little tirade… and even if he fell out with Skywarp for a while, he wouldn't be stopped. It needed to come out. "Remember back then?"

"That little scrap? The red and white guy?" Skywarp had scrunched his facial plates up in remembrance. "Yeah, I remember him. We sure taught him good though, didn't we? He shouldn't have tried to get so close to us."

Thundercracker cringed. They _had_ beat up on the youngling… but that was after Quickfall had come to them, claiming a connection. And there was one… at least, he'd thought. Kind of… It was faint, and hardly existent, especially now… "Warp…"

"What?" the black and purple flyer looked genuinely confused. "What's with the trip down memory lane TC? I haven't heard any thing of that guy, have you? He was a loser."

"Warp," the blue and orange Seeker called sharply, earning a wide-eyed look. He never raised his voice, and Skywarp almost coward, his wing tips twitching in apology. Thundercracker sighed, calming himself as best he could. He wasn't sure why the insult to the youngling from so long ago irked him. Pit, he didn't even know why he'd brought him up. "No, I haven't heard of him either…"

Optic ridge raised curiously, Skywarp stared his wing-mate down. "So… what brought that up?"

"I don't know. I just… I don't think this was how things were supposed to play out, you know?" it was said almost at a ramble, and he hesitated when he realized where his thoughts had lead him. "Warp, I almost think… What if Quickfall… What if that youngling was really supposed to be in our Trine instead?"

Skywarp almost looked aghast at that suggestion.

"That's not funny TC," he growled. "You know that's impossible. We have that connection to Quickfall! We're Trined!"

Another bout of hesitation before he gathered his thoughts and plowed forward. "Skywarp… I don't have a connection to Quickfall."

Skywarp swayed with that information. Thundercracker shifted, unsure if he should be ready to catch an unconscious Seeker or not. "You… You _what_?" His voice squawked in a way neither of them had thought possible. "You mean… you didn't?" TC quirked his head at the now solemn tone.

"No…"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Skywarp suddenly hissed, optics narrowed with spite and Thundercracker backed away quickly. "I thought it was just me! I thought you had a connection and I just… didn't feel it..."

Thundercracker stared at his wing-mate. He certainly hadn't expected _that_ at all. "You mean… you didn't either? But you were always staring at him! You were acting like the connection formed between you both!"

"I was curious! He was a loud mouth and seemed to command respect! I wanted to know how he had that confidence!" there was an odd mourning in his tone. "Then you seemed ok with following him, and I thought _you_ formed the connection so I went with it!"

"What's going on with you two?" Quickfall's voice called from the entry and they both froze to look at the rust colored Seeker. He seemed rather… unbalanced, signifying he'd snagged some high-grade from… somewhere. Again.

"Uh, nothing sir," Thundercracker replied quickly, trying to smooth his features so he didn't give away the topic of their conversation. Skywarp did the same, nodding sharply. Quickfall glared slightly, swaying in his position before he moved toward his berth.

"Good. Be quiet then, I'm gonna recharge. You wake me up, and there will be Pit to pay." A common threat when the rusty teal mech was inebriated… but completely false. As arrogant and stuck up as Quickfall was, he never followed through with his threats.

Thundercracker and Skywarp shared a miserable glance anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N : I apologize, I seem to have switched POV in this chapter, much like I did in the first one. I know it needs to be looked at and fixed. I just wanted to get it out.**_

Their flight was more than immensely long. He loved every moment of it… but it was so boring staying in formation the _entire_ time. There had to be better ways to escort a Shuttle than that… Primus, not even Autobots had intercepted them on their journey.

But now, Kaon was finally in sight. A means to an end. He would be free of this. Maybe he could commandeer a lab and actually _do_ something… A quick glance at the large Shuttle changed his mind. This scientist would probably be sent to the labs… but he could have some time to himself for a while before he showed up…

"**Crackle to Ground. Escort on approach."**

"**Acknowledged. We're ready for you and your… guest. Proceed inbound. Welcome party standing by."**

"**Acknowledged. Proceeding inbound."**

The white mech between them shook suddenly, and out of reaction, all three of the Seekers slowed down, making sure the mech wouldn't fall out of the sky. **"What will happen to me?"** it was the first thing he'd said in basically the entire flight aside from his designation and his occupation.

"**When we land, you will be handed over to the Welcome Party. Afterward, you choose your own way. Be prepared. A long, uneasy path is before you."** At the violet mech's words, Skyfire shifted closer to the left once more, almost touching wing tips with Starscream, prompting a warning growl.

Not that it seemed to do anything…

Crackle and Placer tightened formation to match Starscream's proximity to the large mech, much to his annoyance. Last thing he wanted to do was to fly with constricted space…

Mechs below all stopped to look up at them. A common occurrence these days… Autobots (as they had taken to calling themselves) and Decepticons alike, always expected some sort of confrontation. Even here, in Kaon, where Autobots would never tread, mechs were wound and ready for battle.

The landing was slightly more wobbly and uncoordinated than normal, which was expected… but frustrating either way. Starscream crossed his arms, offing his optics and turning his head a way from everyone around them. Various mechs, most Ground Bounds, were staring at the four of them like they had never seen a flying mech.

But then, there was also Lord Megatron. He was directly in front of Crackle, a proud smirk on his facial plates as he stared past the Trine Leader and directly at Skyfire. Starscream felt himself tense slightly. He could feel the aura of power surrounding their leader. And it wasn't the normal sensation of a typical leader.

His power was overwhelmingly strong… full of anger, and malice. A sense of cockiness in his abilities, and no worry over those in his command. Starscream hated him almost immediately. But he said nothing and ignored the silver mech completely.

He felt a quick and harsh tap on his right wing from Placer, but he ignored that too.

"Well done my Seekers," the leader commented, an odd tone accompanying the comment. "Welcome to Kaon, _Skyfire_. I do hope your stay here is enjoyable. Please, feel free to do mostly as you wish. There will be no leaving of this base however, unless you have my permission to do so." The mech beside Megatron, a light blue and silver mech, shifted suddenly, earning looks from everyone around them. Megatron smiled, turning toward them; a scary image. "Valence will show you all to your quarters. Your Trine will be staying here for some time."

Crackle bowed; a Seeker tradition. The Ground mechs all briefly shared a look of confusion, and Starscream silently smirked. How typical or Grounders. None of them knew a thing about Seeker culture. Even Megatron seemed a bit surprised at the show of respect. He didn't comment however, and the four fliers followed Valence, who was half the size of Starscream himself, toward the barracks.

Starscream barely concealed a wince as he felt Megatron's optics follow them the entire way.

"Welcome to Kaon mechs," Valence huffed out. He seemed very uneager to be there, as the escort's escort. "Seekers are to report to Command tomorrow after Wake-Up Call. Lord Megatron will give you further orders, I am certain, from there. Skyfire will report to Manic for his _interview_. Word of advice, you'd best be prepared for everything, or it's termination for you."

Skyfire winced once more, and his large frame seemed to slump, though his expression remained blank and fairly passive.

They continued through the halls, avoiding gazes as they moved. Crackle stared straight ahead, as if walking infront of the Command trine itself in formation, and Placer was staring up at the ceiling, growling quietly. The Second Wing didn't like having people staring at him. Starscream kept his optics off, following the others using his senses. While not as refined as other Seekers, due to the fact this wasn't his true Trine, he was still fairly well attuned.

Skyfire was the only staring around the hallways. He was also probably the only one afraid of every mech he saw. No, that wasn't true… He wasn't afraid of them all… just the ones that looked particularly… vicious.

Normally, that wouldn't bother the large Shuttle. But now… Everything wasn't how it should have been. He wasn't in the Labs with Perceptor or the others… he wasn't even in the same city anymore. He was in the slag pit that was Kaon. The mechs here… he'd thought it all rumors… how the mechs were brutes, always looking for an excuse to fight… to _kill._

But now, he felt foolish for believing life was so one dimensional. These mechs truly were out for murder, torture and the like. Decepticons… that was what they were called now. Never before had he believed in good or evil. There were a few bad mechs here and there in the cities… Nothing was that perfect, but…

How could any mech wish for the darkness these mechs wanted? The Decepticons had begun to destroy everything he had loved his entire life. So many sparks extinguished… had Perceptor even survived the explosion? Had Jammer? Or Image? He himself barely had, and the others were much smaller than him, and far more delicate…

Cycling slowly, he cast the smallest of glances at the Seeker to his left. The Seeker was a bit of an oddity. Smaller than the others, and seemingly… not well respected. At the previous base, he had heard harsh whispers passing around. But the tri-colored Seeker didn't seem to notice or care. Yet even his own wing-mate had shown dislike for him.

Strange, Seekers were.

"Watch it!" their guide suddenly hissed, earning all of their optics toward the front of the formation. Skyfire glanced over when he actually sensed the small Seeker beside him tense up, wings hiking up and his shoulders shifting back. In front of them, two Seekers, one blue-silver with orange highlights and the other black and purple, had nearly collided with Valence. They didn't really seem to notice the mechs they'd almost run into, instead continued on their way.

Valence cursed after them, loudly, via spoken word and over the broad comms.

The red white and blue Seeker stared after them a moment, before his posture melted back into it's former state, though he seemed much more alert than before… Skyfire couldn't help but wonder why the other had reacted in such a way. Or even, why his wing-mates didn't even seem to notice.

Very un-Seeker like…


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N : As I wrote this, I realized how much Quickfall seems like cannon Starscream. Huh.**_

Another boring day of non-stop patrol. Not something he was exactly looking forward to. He really didn't want to be here, at anymore. His chat with Skywarp had drained his motive. Sure, he was pissed at the Autobots for destroying his home city… they all were. But he didn't want to be here… would rather be anywhere than standing here, beside Quickfall…

At least their "Trine leader" wasn't talking to them currently. Small blessings from Primus. He allowed his attention to wander, vaguely noting that Skywarp was doing the same.

Thundercracker stiffened as he took in the other Seekers in the room. Five trines, not in any sort of formation, stood around, chatting amongst each other. This would seem normal, as it was what the trines always did while they waited for the Command Trine to speak or Lord Megatron… except that this time, Commander Strands' trine wasn't present, nor was his Second Point.

Instead, a new trine was in with them, awaiting orders. He had heard that there had been a trine inbound from a surrounding base, escorting a priority Shuttle. But… Now he saw exactly _who_ was sent. The thought made him uncomfortable. And he could see the tension in Skywarp too, as the purple and black Seeker noticed them at the same time as he.

It was hard to miss them really.

The clash of colors was almost as bad as a few others he'd seen… Purple also was a color that drew his attention, being Skywarp's two tone color. The orange and yellow Seeker also, was an eye-catcher, if only because of how _bright_ the colors were. But the third in the group was what caught him off guard. He and Warp had _just_ talked about that mech!

The red blue and white coloring of the Seeker was a dead giveaway. Tri-coloring was rare, except among the younglings who normally painted parts of their armor to stand out… but there were no such luxuries anymore. Identity was strict with the beginnings of war.

"_Holy slag TC, is that him?"_ Skywarp asked, staring openly at the mech across the room. The youngling seemed very uninterested in the chatter between his… trine-mates. Thundercracker didn't say anything in response, instead turning his gaze down to the floor. There must have been a mistake… That Seeker had a trine… maybe Quickfall was their Trine Leader after all….

"Greetings Decepticons," a deep voice called suddenly, and they each snapped to get into position. Gleaming sliver metal, and deep red optics, Lord Megatron sure was something, no matter how many times their new leader made an appearance. "My Air Commander, Strands, has yet to return, but has reported in to my Second in Command. It would appear, that there has been a struggle in Praxus. He and his team are due to stay there a while longer and defeat the rebelling civilians."

There was a moment of silence as he allowed that bout of information to be taken in. He knew how much the Seekers all respected each other and the Command Trine. Of course he would keep them updated on Strands' progress and whereabouts. It was a tactic, to keep them in line.

Because the Seekers didn't truly follow his order, and somewhere in that mech's processor, he _knew_ it.

"You notice the addition of another set of Seekers in this room. Headed by Lt. Crackle, he and his wing-mates are going to take up some of the slack in your patrols." The violet mech shifted, standing up straighter than what should have been possible at Megatron's explanation. His wing-mates both seemed slightly confused, and Thundercracker resisted the urge to shake his head. Obviously, they hadn't been informed of their extended stay.

The youngling they'd once known scoffed quietly to himself, turning ever so slightly so that he wasn't looking directly at the silver mech. How Megatron didn't notice the action, Thundercracker and Skywarp both had no idea… They watched however as his wing-mate discreetly smacked his white wing in response, a small glare decorating the other's face plates.

"Strands has indicated you bunch need to go through practice maneuvers, as you have been rather lax due to lack of confrontation," this was said with a tiny sneer. "I have decided that you will work on these practices, and ground teams will take over patrolling in the mean time. You will begin a schedule soon, switching off between maneuvers and patrol, but for now, we'll do it this way."

Trine leaders all hiked up their wings as this was spoken, and their respective trines tensed. Chatter over Trine comms began at once, though nothing on the outside bellied it… Thundercracker spared a quick glance to Skywarp, who twitched a finger. _"Lord Megatron doesn't seem happy with this…"_

_"No, he doesn't. I was wondering when Commander Strands would have us go over these things… but Megatron makes it sound like he's going with this unwillingly… it is something we've needed for a while, and the introduction of a new Trine with us throws our balances off…"_

_"He probably doesn't understand that… he is a Grounder after all…"_ Skywarp minutely rolled his left shoulder, optics turning to take in the slightly agitated stances of the other Seekers. He wondered a bit at their slight glares, as did Thundercracker. They couldn't believe this was an unneeded thing… could they? As Seekers, they should know better!

Both of them fixed their gazes on the red white and blue Seeker, who was staring at Megatron with the most bank expression they'd ever seen. His trine also seemed a bit calmer than the others in the room… mostly. The violet one was also watching his Third Wing, while the orange one was twitching slightly.

"Lt. Crackle, I've been told, is the best trainer available. You will be following his order in these exercises," the three Seekers each tensed up once more, confusion evident on Second and Third Wings, and surprise on the Point. Megatron's voice seemed to get even more angry as he said this, and his red optics glowed brighter. "I turn you over to him now. Crackle, be sure to report your flyers' status at the end of each session. Update on any flight activity with Ground Control, understood soldier?"

The purple mech gave a Seeker's bow, as well as a stern "Understood Lord Megatron", earning a very slight grin from the larger silver leader. Out of reaction, Thundercracker copied the movement, thankful that the others did as well. _"TC, did we seriously just bow to Megatron?"_

_"Yeah Warp, we did."_ Megatron turned, exiting through the entrance he'd come from while Crackle's Trine moved up to take his former position.

_"I hope Strands doesn't find out about that… he'll probably get really mad we did that for a Grounder…"_

"All right Seekers," the mech's voice was almost sing-song like, light and airy. And, now that he faced them all, the slight white highlights along his wings were visible, as were his light blue optics. "We'll start with basic fly-bys. I need to gage your abilities before I can find what needs to be worked on. Meet outside on the hanger deck in 30 minutes. In the mean time, grab some energon and begin stretching out. Today promises to be a long one."

A collective chitter went through the mass of wings, signifying their understanding of his orders, and they each began to speak with their own Trines for additional orders before they fell out of formation. Quickfall glanced at his wing-mates, making them both tense slightly. "Nothing to add on. Stupid though that we have to follow this stranger's orders, eh? Looks like he's got a screw loose somewhere, and his Trine doesn't seem much better."

He said it in a normal volume, but as most other Trines preferred their Trine Bond Comms, the words rung out, echoing so every mech in the room heard them. Thundercracker winced in response, and Skywarp ducked his head. Other trines turned to look at them questioningly; to say such things was to disrespect a Seeker's Trine, and disrespect was a shameful thing to the receiving trine, but thankfully, Crackle didn't seem to notice.

His wing-mates however, did. As the trine began to make their way out of the briefing room, they turned toward the offending Seeker. The orange and yellow one's red optics were bright, and his wings flared with anger. The other simply stared at them blankly, though his optics also showed a slight anger in them. Quickfall sent a tiny smirk at them as they left completely, knowing full well the effects of his words. "Pitiful trine that one…" he grumbled, turning his attention back to Skywarp and Thundercracker. "Alright, let's go. Need a good dose of fuel anyway."

They turned and followed the rust and teal Seeker through the halls, ignoring the jeers of other Decepticons as they went. It was obvious that Quickfall had made some enemies among the Kaon forces… but as long as they stuck together, they wouldn't be bothered.

The Mess Hall was crowded, as it normally was at this time of the day. Mechs were still pouring in, late risers, and other mechs were still in the room, slow consumers. Voices filled the room to the point it was impossible to discern one conversation from another. _"TC? Quickfall's an aft."_

The blue Seeker let out a choked laugh, _"Are we just figuring this out Warp?" _He glanced at his wing mate, quirking an optic ridge with a small amount of humor. Skywarp glared back, dark red optics narrowed dangerously. _"I'm serious Warp! He's been an aft since we met him!"_

_"No need to make fun of me. Any plan on how to get rid of him?"_ Thundercracker blinked, intakes nearly freezing. _"Oh come on! We both agree he's not Trine, right? How do we go about getting rid of him so we can find our real Trine Leader?"_

They both simultaneously looked across the room, spotting the red white and blue figure. Thundercracker frowned, _"Warp, there's something wrong with all of this… maybe Quickfall _is _Trine…"_

The purple and black Seeker stared blandly at him. _"Don't be dumb TC, you're the one who brought it up… We gotta make this right. I want my Trine whole."_

"HELLO!" Quickfall suddenly smacked both of their helms. Thundercracker was the only one who caught the other Seeker, all the way on the other side of the hall, stiffen, and toss a glare their way. But the blue one didn't focus on it too keenly. Quickfall was glaring at them both. "Way to pay attention idiots. How did I get stuck with you both?"

"What's up Fall?" Skywarp asked, straight faced and as relaxed as he normally was.

"Don't call me that!" Quickfall shouted, thwacking Skywarp's helm once more. "I said, let's hurry it up some! Primus, you idiots are slow!"

"We're coming Quickfall," Thundercracker placated, arms at his side to look as docile as he could. He really didn't want to fight with their "Trine Leader". Not now… in the middle of a room filled with mechs who would all end up jumping in… making everything worse… It just wasn't worth it.

Once the allotted time was up, every Seeker noticeably left the Mess Hall. They moved in a congregation through the conduits of the Kaon Base, pushing past other Decepticons without apology. Crackle was standing tall when they began falling into formation, staring out at them blankly, his blue optics piercing the dark that surrounded them. His wing mates stood to his sides, arms crossed and looking bored.

"Welcome," the odd lilt of the violet Seeker called. "Today, we will be getting a feel for our flight patterns. A Unit unfamiliar might as well cut their engines and freefall to the ground when in battle. Depending on how you do will advance us to the next step, and proving to me just why I should allow you to be combat worthy. Remember our home, Seekers. Let us start."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N : And… a new chapter is finally out. Throwing out there, I have an instance where I use "Stellar cycle" and regular Earth time. For the majority of the fic, I will keep using Earth time, simply because it's easier to understand and remember. Please bear with those moments that I refer back to "Cybertronian" measurements…**_

They hadn't even been flying for an hour before Crackle called them all down again.

Starscream just huffed, turning his gaze around at the abashed Seekers he and his "trine" stood before. Placer threw an amused glance toward Starscream as well. Crackle wasn't pleased, glaring at the amassed air troops in a way neither of his wing mates had ever seen.

"I have not seen such… disgrace in flying in a very long time," the Trine leader's voice was hard, losing all sense of airy indifference he'd possessed before. "And you fly with the Command. How embarrassing. I did not expect to have to retrain you all so completely. Some of you act as if you have never flown with your Trines before."

It truly was something they hadn't expected. These Seekers who flew with the Command, acted like sparklings in flight. As if they'd never flown. There was no chemistry in the air. Trines flew without much regard for the orders given by their commanders, nor for any regard of those around them.

It was pathetic.

His optics caught two familiar sets of optics and he felt himself stiffen. He really didn't… want to deal with those two. But it seemed as if he had no choice… And they were watching him back. It was disturbing.

And their Trine Leader was glaring at him. Naturally, Starscream glared back, allowing a showy smirk to overcome his features. That Trine had been one of the main issues with the formation. And it seemed, by the body language he displayed, the Trine Leader knew it.

"Break into your Trines. On my command, you will take off, and I will judge your form. If I don't like how you execute this demand, you will be punished by whatever Lord Megatron deems appropriate. And Commander Strands will hear of all of this in a report, rest assured."

And so they did. They began a rigorous set of drills that some of the assembled Seekers quickly learned to hate. Complexity wasn't a goal. In fact, Crackle was trying for the opposite, thinking easier would be better for them all. In fact, it seemed that despite the easy difficulty of the exercises, the Trines couldn't complete their tasks. Of the six Trines on this Kaon base, two had more troubles than could be counted, two Trines were up to par, and the final two trines flew mediocre at best. Crackle wasn't amused.

Starscream however, was. And his amusement, much to his muted surprise, was mirrored by Placer, who tossed random half grins his way on occasion when his… _their…_ Trine Leader was about to go off on another for not keeping formation up to standards.

"You, what's your designation?" Crackle barked out, calling the formation to a hover. This brought forth quiet groans. As time continued, their body's demanded rest. Crackle ignored the annoyed sounds, staring instead at the Trine Leader directly in front of himself. The rusty brown and teal Seeker narrowed his optics, his wings flaring in response.

The two at his side winced at whatever response was forthcoming, and that was the only reason Starscream even spared them a glance.

He knew their names. Of course he knew their names. He would probably never be able to _forget_ them, no matter how he tried. He hated them. They had left him behind without a word. No explanation… they never had told him straight up that they had found their third member, and that it wasn't him. They had seemingly become a Trine with that one over the course of a recharge cycle, any friendship they had shared with Starscream dissipating before he could process.

He didn't need them. They had made their position clear. They were Trined (though… and he only admitted the hope this brought deep within his spark… they didn't seem happy with their lot in life… they didn't act like the "team" they were supposed to be). This meeting was just another chapter. There would be several to come, for certain.

Why did those two haunt his mind so much?

"Quickfall. _Sir._" The Trine Leader was quite a disrespectful little glitch. Starscream glared openly, watching Placer do the same opposite him. He hadn't noticed that they had seemingly boxed "Quickfall" in… perhaps some payback was in order for the comment earlier? Not that it really bothered him… not really anyway. He just didn't like the way the rusty one had spoken out like he had.

"Quickfall. How long have you been flying with your wing brothers?" Crackle was probably the only Seeker who spoke that way. "Wing Brothers." It was a saying that was just… never heard of these days. His blue optics glowed ominously as he stared the young Trine Leader down, waiting for an answer.

"Uh…" well, that sounded intelligent. This Seeker continued to lose points whenever Starscream had the displeasure of running into him. "I… I dunno. A few… stellar cycles?" That seemed about right. It hadn't been very long ago that all of them were younglings in the Care Center, fulfilling various tasks to help build "bonds"… It was only three and a half months ago that that very Care Center had been destroyed in the attack on Vos.

"I see. Fall in, you three." Quickfall straightened slightly and the two others in the Trine snapped into place. Starscream frowned, his left wing twitching with a small, hidden bout of annoyance. Those two were in the wrong positions. What were they playing at?

Crackle hummed thoughtfully; a loud sound in the air, despite the sounds of thrusters drowning all other noise out. "You three hesitate. You act as if you don't know each other. It is important that you work as a perfect unit. You will be more susceptible to attacks if you do not. Perhaps we need a "Team Building Exercise"?"

Placer slouched slightly, though he didn't comment, grin, frown or outwardly show any other signs of his thoughts on the idea. He didn't need to though. "Team Building" was an activity Trines usually only needed if they were incorporating a new Seeker into their Wing, or if they were younglings getting to know their potential Trines. That Crackle was considering such a thing was a testament to how annoyed he truly was.

The powder purple Seeker stood straight, glancing at the Wings before him. He showed outward annoyance, as well as a slew of other negative emotions that had the Seekers of Kaon hard pressed not to flinch. Angry Crackle was almost more foreboding than probably any of the Seekers had ever seen. Satisfying thought.

The teal and rust colored Trine Leader took on a pinched expression. He didn't dare try to challenge the idea face to face with a Seeker Trine with more experience surrounding him. Especially since his two lackeys didn't seem to move closer to him. It would be a subconscious effort on their part… to protect what's theirs… but they didn't, and "Quickfall" apparently knew he was effectively alone.

"I'm going to call for a landing," Crackle said, giving a very deadly glare. "I hope that after a small break you will _all_ be up to standard. If not, I will make good on my threat of Team Building. It may not be a bad idea _anyway_, but we will wait and see. Land, check in, and go to wherever you go, but meet back out here after three hours time."

Starscream smirked as the Trines all descended quickly, not at all put off by the "threat".


	8. Chapter 8

"My wings are sore." Skywarp let out a groan as he sat down. Thundercracker barely glanced at him, too busy with finding his own seat to really listen. "I'll say one thing; Cracker is one Pit of a trainer. Yeesh."

"We're really lucky, Warp," the blue one said quietly, staring over at where their "Trine Leader" had disappeared to. "I don't think _Crackle_ likes Quickfall much. I know his wing mates don't… we'll probably be pushed real hard when we go back out there."

"Great… I don't think I can handle all of those dumb exercises."

"Just grin and bear it Warp. We'll get through it fine."

Skywarp's expression melted into annoyance. "But what about our "Fearless Leader" over there? He's the one catching Crackle's optics… We need to get rid of him TC, and fast. Before my wings fall off."

Thundercracker looked upward with a sigh from his vents. "It's physically impossible for your wings to just fall off." The purple flier glared in his general direction. _"And don't say things like that out loud, crazy. You want others to think we've lost our processes?"_

"_Can't help it TC. I just… the more I think about it, the more I just can't stand the guy."_ Skywarp gave a shrug, staring indifferently at the teal and rust colored Seeker across the room. _"He thinks he's so great… just wait till we show him. He never should have tricked us like that!"_

"_Who's to say he tricked us?"_ Thundercracker quirked an optic ridge. _"Maybe he genuinely thinks we _are_ trine. I mean, he's the one who came to _us _back then."_

Red optics narrowed, swiveling to stare the blue one down. _"You don't believe that, do you? Quickfall's an idiot, but I don't think he'd be that stupid. He should know."_

"_Oh, like we did? Warp, in all of the time we've been, "trine", it's always just been you and me. We never really paid attention to the fact Quickfall never entered our frequency."_

"_We always thought he was intentionally blocking us out, though, TC."_

"_Who's to say he didn't think the same of us?"_

"_You don't think he's thought we've been blocking him this whole time, do you? I mean, why would he think that?"_

Another sigh. _"Who knows, Warp. It's just something that just popped into my thoughts."_

Skywarp glanced at the blue one, doubt so very obvious in his optics. _"TC, what if he really _has_ been blocking us this whole time? What if he really _is _our Trine Leader?"_

A disconcerting thought. Thundercracker's optics held Skywarp's a moment. _"Can't be. Neither of us feel for him like we do for each other. Right? I know for a fact I don't see him as Trine. How about you Warp? Now's the time for introspection. Do you feel he is your Trine Leader?"_

"_Uh… You know I'm no good at intaspecting." _ Thundercracker almost groaned_. " But, no. I don't feel the same connection that I feel with you. So again I ask… How do we get rid of him?"_

"_I don't know_," the Seekers stared at each other blandly a moment, possible ideas racing through their link back and forward almost too fast for either of them to comprehend. "_I can't believe we're even thinking like this…_"

"_Why? It's the only way we'll be rid of him_."

"_We're both thinking up ways to possibly off-line a mech we're supposedly really close with. That seems like the worst kind of betrayal, Warp._" Skywarp stared over at him with a blank expression, turning to look back at their "Leader". A dark scowl came over him and the black and purple Seeker turned his optics back at his wing mate.

"But we're not close to him at all. So it's ok." Thundercracker glared at Skywarp. Partially for saying that out loud, partially because it sort of made sense, and partially because Skywarp was seemingly A-OK with killing a fellow Seeker. That last one was the one that churned his tanks… after the destruction of Vos… even before, killing a fellow Seeker was taboo and unheard of. Worst thing was… Thundercracker himself found that he was thinking along the same lines as his wing mate.

"This run is going to be great. Slaggin Auto-scum won't know what hit em!" Both Thundercracker and Skywarp looked over to the table beside them, optic ridges quirked in question. Four grounders were nodding, vicious grins on their faces. "Be ready to move out in a few hours." The dark green one said, his voice practically quivering in excitement.

"Hey, Jostler!" Skywarp called, making Thundercracker twitch. The crimson red mech, smallest in the group of four, looked up and over at them. "Where're you headed?"

Jostler was a fairly jovial mech for a Decepticon. He, like Skywarp, had a sense of humor that made some scratch their helms in bewilderment. Everyone liked the mech too, which helped him in the long run, as some of the things he pulled in the grounder's barracks (from what the rumors said) would have gotten a lesser mech off-lined by now.

"Got a mission to take down a supposed base of operations in Trypticon," Jostler said, his twangy accent a tad thicker than normal. "We head out in a few hours, and get to wreak havoc on the Autobots. Can't wait." His visor was almost too bright.

"Aw…" Skywarp intoned, dimming his red optics. "I wanna go!" Thundercracker whacked his helm, giving a withering look at the purple flier, who squawked indignantly. "What was that for? We never get to go on cool missions."

"Warp…" the blue one shook his helm. "Sometimes I wonder about you."

Jostler cocked his head, "Only sometimes? The rest of us are always wondering about him." One of the three at his table laughed boisterously, making others in the room glance over curiously.

Skywarp squawked again, this time with a shrill "Hey!" before turning his helm away and ignoring them both. "I'm not speaking to you two." Thundercracker chuckled quietly, earning a glare from Skywarp. "I'm serious. Not speaking to either of you ever again."

"And yet, you're still talking," Jostler commented in a sing-song voice. The red mech took on an innocent expression as his table dissolved into chortles. "Did I say that out loud?" He ducked his head as Skywarp's poison-y glare landed on him. "Hehe, oops."

"Oops is right," Skywarp grumbled. He didn't get a chance to continue as both of their alarms went off. It was time to get back in the air with the Drill Sergeant of Doom. Several Seekers in the room stood up in almost unison, making the room watch them, jeering or curious depending on whom it was.

"Huh, what're you guys up too?" Jostler asked, optic ridge quirking.

"We, are going to practice basic flight maneuvers," Skywarp attempted to make that sound as much fun as attacking an Autobot sector. He failed; as he noticed Jostler's lips twitch in amusement. "It's going to be amazing." Here he didn't try to hide his "Not thrilled" tone. There was no hiding what it was.

"Sounds like," the red mech commented, snorting. "I don't envy you, mech."

"Psh, you _wish_ you were this cool," Skywarp said, standing up suddenly and twitching his wings in a slow, butterfly type motion. Thundercracker rolled his optics, stood and then dragged his trine-mate toward the exit. The table behind them laughing out right after them.

_**A/N : Ok, so… not long, and definitely late. Appologies. I've introduced another character. He's not an OC, either, just playing the part of one for now. I need to rewrite this story. The way it flows bothers me. But for now, I'll keep it the way it is.**_


	9. Chapter 9

He looked out the glassy window, cycling a burst of air as silently as he could. How he longed to just fly… be free… How long had he been cooped up in this place? It felt like so many long years… Only a day. How was it possible that only a day had passed?

Worse yet, was that he would remain here for however long he was deemed needed. He had no way of knowing how long that would be, or what would happen to him when his usefulness ran out. Would the Decepticons let him go? An image of their leader, glinting silver metal and burning, angry red optics, came to him. That sadistic and vengeful smirk, filled with confidence and malice.

No. There was no doubt in his processor that he wouldn't be allowed to leave. His life would end with the Decepticons. Megatron would see to it.

He glanced down at the datapad he was supposed to be working on. It was on a subject he didn't have experience with. Weaponry. Biochemical war-fare. He was supposed to be working on a way to better the Decepticons' chances at winning through such a means. Cosmic Rust had been eradicated long ago, but that didn't seem to stall the Decepticons at all. He was tasked with finding a new, more deadly strain.

Time was on his side. Finding the ancient strains took long enough that he could stretch his usefulness for far longer than others in the science department. Mutating those strains would take even longer. All the while, he was keeping his audials out for talk of Autobots or any in the ranks planning an uprising. None of it sat well with him, but he'd rather fight and live than die doing a deed like this.

Perceptor would be able to think of a way out of this mess. He was talented for thinking everything through to its fullest. Every angle and possibility. Skyfire vented a sigh. Last he'd seen the red and black mech, he'd been working on a super-conductor. That had been just before Skyfire himself had been getting up to grab them both a new data pad to work with. The next thing he knew, the place was shaking and smoke and broken utensils were everywhere.

Trying to escape the tower could have been simple. The windows had been broken. Flight was the easy way out. But he couldn't leave Perceptor or Image, a glossy black mech who'd been tinkering in the far end of the room with one of the engineers. He had just begun regaining his balance when he'd been knocked back down, something colliding with him.

The Shuttle shook his head slightly. The sight of gleaming red optics glaring down at him with a sickly sweet smile, energon coating the otherwise streamlined silver chassis, was one he could not get out of his memory. He'd never caught sight of Image, Perceptor or the Engineer they'd been working with. He'd only seen the mass of destruction and the evil seeming figure before him.

Now he was here. In the depths of Kaon. Further than he'd ever believed he would be from his home city. And he was working for a group that scared every political party on Cybertron. A group set on retribution. A group set on a sense of justice that didn't seem to make much sense according to every news clip he'd been able to find.

How he longed for the nightmare to be over.

_**Swoosh**__._

The sound vibrated the tower. Startled from his line of thought, Skyfire swiveled his optics back toward the window. The skyline of Kaon was just as dark as it ever was, but there was something outside. Curious, he looked over his shoulder to see if anyone else was looking. There were only four others in here. Two were like him in that they were kidnapped from their homes. A teal and white Femme model and an electric blue mech that rivaled the Femme in size, both working on the same project… which had something to do with a synthetic energon formula that no one could get right. The other two, both wearing uniform purple insignias on their chassis, one grey, the other maroon red, were their guards of the day.

They weren't giving anything other than their projects any sort of mind, and the guards were stoic as ever, not looking at them, but every sensor on the ready for any sort of trouble. Deciding he was safe to get up and look outside, he stood, walking to the window as silently as possible.

Spires and domes, walkways and landing pads. The shapes of the buildings were sharp and bulky. Industrial smoke stacks, while mostly inoperable, still billowed pollution into the already inky sky, turning it fiery orange, hiding the stars of the world beyond. Lights glimmered from other spires and towers, the only real sign of life in the otherwise dead-feeling city.

_**Swoosh**_!

The tower shook once more, but this time, that didn't matter to Skyfire. The white Shuttle stepped up to the Plexiglas, watching the spectacle outside. There were Seekers out there. They were twisting, diving, climbing… they were flying with all of the grace they were known for. It was something Skyfire had never really witnessed. His entourage to Kaon had been the first time that he'd even _seen_ a Seeker, much less seen one fly.

They were significantly even rarer after the rebel attack on Vos. The elegant fliers were reclusive to begin with. After the attack, it was generally thought that they were wiped out or had fled the planet. Obviously, they weren't gone. But it was still odd that they were with the Decepticons.

A teal and rust colored Seeker rattled the window as he passed this time. Being a flier himself, Skyfire was able to catch the commands he sent. The two on his sides, a black and dark purple and a blue and orange, wavered before angling in to follow. They twisted and turned through the obstacle course of the city, and were soon gone from sight. Another three screamed past a moment later.

These he recognized. The calm, light purple leader, the brightly colored hot head, and the tri-colored deadly one. The leader flew through the spires, and the two on his tips never hesitated. They flew fast, precise, and near perfectly. Like the three before them, they vanished from sight moments later.

Skyfire stared, frowning. The Seekers were a force to be reckoned with. In folklore, they were known as the great defenders, guardians. But they were so much more than that. Granted, he only knew through texts and studies of the race of fliers… but they were focused on community, unity, and family. They were a relaxed, proud people.

Another set of three raced by, but he didn't look closely at them. Instead, he turned and solemnly moved back to his station, remembering the animosity he'd caught in the three who'd brought him here. They'd snapped at each other. The tri-colored one had a scathing, angry aura, and yet, there was something about him that lured Skyfire in. The orange and yellow was combative and spiteful.

The leader, though, was probably the scariest of them. He was unpredictable, despite his outwardly calm actions.

He vented a burst of warm air, resuming where he'd left off with distaste. This life… it was his now. He should probably just buckle down and endure it.

_**A/N : So, here is the next portion. I'm rather impressed with how well this one and the last came out. Writing Skywarp last chapter was fun, and Skyfire was being awesomely cooperative with letting me into his helm. We'll see what's in store for the next. Perhaps more of Crackle? Or maybe Jostler? They seem to have come across fairly well.**_


	10. Chapter 10

The moment Crackle had called them all to the air, the ranks of Seekers knew they were in for a world of hurt. The despair was palpable, as his voice sharply called them all to hover. There was no sing-song quality in the Seeker Commander. He wasn't a push over, and he knew what he was doing as far as leading went, much to the annoyance of certain few.

And if his orders were shirked, Crackle's wing mates were proving to be quite happy to correct the problem. Especially when it came to a certain arrogant, rusty teal Point Leader. Quickfall wasn't very pleased. In fact, he was probably more displeased than Crackle was.

The acting Wing Leader's trine followed his every move in the air, as if the Wing was still in a Care Center. It was annoying, and almost degrading, and the three young Seekers knew that the others were increasingly annoyed with their inability to work together. And perhaps that was what led to the snap.

All Skywarp and Thundercracker knew, was that one moment they were working through the drills that Crackle called to them, each twitching from exertion and a slew of other emotions, and the next, Quickfall snagged their wings and pulled into alt mode, racing off. _"What the slag? TC? What's he doing?"_

Thundercracker had hesitated just as long as Skywarp had, but they both moved to follow their supposed Point Leader as he called out angry commands to them to follow. "_I don't know, Warp. But he's going to get us in trouble._" And yet, they followed, barely catching up to him, if only to figure out what he was planning.

Quickfall lead them on a jerky flight path. He seemed to follow the other trines, who were continuing their laps through the city. His orders were haphazard and snappy, and both Thundercracker and Skywarp balked at some of the maneuvers he wanted to bring them through. "_He's not seriously trying to do advanced flight patterns, is he?_"

"_TC? We should break off._" And really, they should have. There was no way, with Quickfall at the helm, that they would pull off the kinds of things he wanted them to achieve here and now without far more practice than they'd thus far had as a trine. Certainly not without trust.

When Crackle caught up to them, the punishment would be severe. The each knew it. Even if they did break off now. That thought wasn't appealing.

They corkscrewed around a spire, nearly colliding with one of the other trines, who flared their wings and screeched over the comm. lines. **"Quickfall, land immediately!"** Crackle's voice was pure anger now, sounding all the world like Commander Strands. Still, Quickfall led them on, his frame vibrating with violence that the two on his wings had never seen before. Quickfall was an aft, but he was a powerful aft. One that, when enraged, could easily take on more mechs than could usually be counted.

"_**All units, all units!"**_ that one was over Decepticon broadband link, and the mech sounded panicked. _**"Autobot infiltration! I repeat, Autobot infiltration!"**_

"**All Wings, attack direction Delta!"** Crackle came over the comm. line once more. In a brief moment, Quickfall, Thundercracker and Skywarp were suddenly behind Crackle and his trine, the Wing acting as if they hadn't expended any effort in keeping up. **"Quickfall, you and your trine will follow my orders without question, or I will shoot you down myself. Understood?"**

There was no verbal reply from Quickfall, but his posture belayed his misgivings. They followed in the Wing's vapor trail as shadows, and turned the direction each other Wing was now headed. There was a visible plume of smoke rising up, fiery and black. _"Scrap, TC. Did you just get a flash of Vos?"_

"_This isn't Vos."_ Kaon would never be Vos. Still though, Thundercracker couldn't deny the odd feeling that struck his spark as they raced toward the confrontation. It was familiar. _"Watch yourself, Warp. This is the first time there's actually a battle going on that we've actively participated in. Who knows how it's going to pan out."_

"_You too, TC,"_ Skywarp inched closer to the blue Seeker, ignoring the angry flip up from Quickfall.

There were Autobot fliers. Far bulkier than Seekers, and nowhere near as fast, but built with enough power and stamina to be quite a challenge for a trine. They met the Seekers half way to the battle zone, colliding and grappling with them. Many of the dueling mechs went into freefall and disappeared into the mess of buildings below. **"All Wings, break off formation. Keep your wits and may your aim be true,"** Crackle called as he too, vanished into the depths, a bulky fuchsia flier locked around his wings. His wing mates split almost immediately, the orange and yellow diving to accompany his Wing Leader while the tri-colored one sped off for a piece of the battle.

Weaponry peppered the skies. As did shouts, and screams of pain, bellows of anger and the general sounds of war. Thundercracker pulled in close to Skywarp, avoiding being shot through the fuselage. In front of them, Quickfall dived, and they followed sharply, spinning.

That was when the three of them realized that there was an enemy tailing closely behind them. Pale blue with canary yellow streaks, the flier was fast. About the size of a Seeker with almost the right build. He followed their every move, firing pot shots at them. _"Scrap, TC, we gotta shake this guy!"_

"**Quickfall, bank right!"** Thundercracker called out automatically. The Seeker did exactly the opposite, signaling for a lazy left. Skywarp made an affronted sound, loud enough to be heard by Thundercracker and probably Quickfall himself. The enemy scoffed over the broadband lines, and rammed into Thundercracker, who squawked as he tumbled toward the ground. _"Warp, becareful!"_

"_Not leavin ya, TC!"_ Skywarp shifted from alt mode and latched on to the flier, with a snarl. The mech shifted into his root mode as well, glaring and grunting as Skywarp slashed into his seams. "You're slagged!" he growled, heavy handedly grabbing a pale wing and pushing down as hard as he could. The two of them went into freefall.

"You're out matched, 'con!" the mech replied, almost creepily blank faced.

"Says the idiot taking on a Seeker trine," Skywarp spat back. He struggled though. The mech had one Pit of a grip!

"Don't look like no trine, to me," the mech returned. He really could have been a Seeker. But what Seeker would have allied with the Autobots? No self-respecting one, for sure. He appeared about to say more, but was cut off by blue and black claws at his neck cabling.

"What would you know about it?" a new voice, deadly and dark, and tantalizingly familiar asked. But the black Seeker didn't have time to ponder. In a split moment, the enemy's neck was slashed, and Skywarp was pulled away, regaining lost height in altitude.

The Seeker's wings twitched even as he shifted to alt mode once more. Skywarp felt himself following the command before he could process the fact the enemy was now in the depths, most likely dead. They were flying a moment later, Thundercracker rushing from somewhere to take the second wing spot. Once they realized just what had happened, they were stunned.

The Seeker before them was none other than the tri-colored mech they remembered from the Care Center. His orders were called clearly and briskly, and they could do nothing else but follow, especially when once more, an Autobot appeared on their tails.

They banked, angling low to pass under a bridge and flipped over it in a U-turn, the white and red Point Leader ramming their follower as he shifted to root mode. Thundercracker and Skywarp flew past, doubling back with weapons onlining. _"Holy frag,"_ they both said in unison, shifting to root as well. Their impulses were to assist the Seeker, who took a heavy hit to his left wing, but they were transfixed, watching as the Seeker's fiery optics narrowed.

He latched onto the enemy, a black and white Praxian flier. And flipped around, exposing the Autobot's back to a passing Seeker who was chasing a duo of fliers himself. The stray shot caught the Praxian in the wing joint, causing him to cry out. The Seeker dropped him, hovering a moment, taking in the surroundings, before shifting back to alt and bolting back into the fray, leaving Thundercracker and Skywarp where they were.

"_Follow my lead,_" they both jolted with the sound of a new voice. They glanced at each other a moment in question, before shrugging and following the Seeker.

_**S/N: So. I can't believe it's been over a year since I've updated anything. I wish I could say I took that time to better my writing ability, but alas, it didn't work out that way. This portion was written on the fly, so I apologize for how choppy or confusing it may be. I've forgotten my own pattern with this story. =/ At any rate, I hope you enjoyed reading this piece. **_


End file.
